Direct evidence of an efficient energy transfer pathway from jellyfish carcasses to a commercially important deep-water species

Dunlop, Kathy M.; Jones, Daniel O.B. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5218-1649; Sweetman, Andrew K.. 2017 Direct evidence of an efficient energy transfer pathway from jellyfish carcasses to a commercially important deep-water species. Scientific Reports, 7 (1). 17455. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-17557-x

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Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-17557-x

Abstract/Summary

Here we provide empirical evidence of the presence of an energetic pathway between jellyfish and a commercially important invertebrate species. Evidence of scavenging on jellyfish carcasses by the Norway lobster (Nephrops norvegicus) was captured during two deployments of an underwater camera system to 250–287 m depth in Sognefjorden, western Norway. The camera system was baited with two Periphylla periphylla (Scyphozoa) carcasses to simulate the transport of jellyfish detritus to the seafloor, hereby known as jelly-falls. N. norveigus rapidly located and consumed a large proportion (>50%) of the bait. We estimate that the energy input from jelly-falls may represent a significant contribution to N. norvegicus energy demand (0.21 to 10.7 times the energy required for the population of N. norvegicus in Sognefjorden). This potentially high energetic contribution from jelly-falls highlights a possible role of gelatinous material in the support of commercial fisheries. Such an energetic pathway between jelly-falls and N. norvegicus could become more important with increases in jellyfish blooms in some regions.

Item Type:	Publication - Article
Digital Object Identifier (DOI):	https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-17557-x
ISSN:	2045-2322
Date made live:	09 Feb 2018 10:37 +0 (UTC)
URI:	https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/519260

Item Type:

Publication - Article

Digital Object Identifier (DOI):

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-17557-x

ISSN:

2045-2322

Date made live:

09 Feb 2018 10:37 +0 (UTC)

URI:

https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/519260